St. Paul's Hyacinth is getting a new chef-owner

When chefs Rikki Giambruno and Abraham Gessesse met, there was an unspoken shared sensibility, one rooted in great pasta and family bonds.

"I love the saying, a fisherman recognizes another fisherman," said Giambruno. That's why when it came time for the lauded chef/owner of the beloved St. Paul neighborhood restaurant Hyacinth to step aside to start a new life chapter, he knew exactly who could carry on and love it as much as he has.

Gessesse's history with the restaurant dates back to its 2018 opening. "I was the first line cook hired," he said.

At the time, Giambruno was just back in his home state after living in New York and cooking at buzzy and lauded Italian restaurants. When he knew he wanted to open his own place, St. Paul was a given. His brother owns a brewery nearby, and the city's big-small-town vibe was perfect for what he envisioned: an intimate, open restaurant that served the community as much as it served fantastic, seasonal fare.

He was also a bachelor. "It was 110 percent about family," Giambruno said. "I was thrilled to be back here close to my siblings who were starting families. But I always thought I'd always be the fun uncle." One who spent most of his waking hours at the restaurant.

His hard work paid off. The restaurant has become among the most highly regarded in St. Paul. In a 2019 review, the Star Tribune praised the restaurant's "reverential approach to ingredients." And in 2019 and 2020, Giambruno was a semifinalist for a national James Beard Award in the Rising Star Chef of the Year category.

But it's funny how life works when we think we know what's coming next. In the intervening years there were big changes, both professional — Hyacinth took a brief left turn into sandwiches during the pandemic — and personal. Giambruno got married and now the couple is starting a family of their own. With that came time to think about how many hours the restaurant deserves and what those hours mean to a child.

"For this particular restaurant, I believe it requires a great chef. At this point in my life, I don't think I have the capacity to be a great chef and the kind of father I want to be," he said.

He was saying all this a few months ago while driving his old friend, Gessesse, across town. Gessesse was home visiting from Seattle, and Giambruno was giving him a lift back to the hotel. He said he was thinking he needed to find a new/chef owner for Hyacinth to continue the legacy of what they'd built.

"I'll buy it," Gessesse said.

"If you can make it happen, it's yours," Giambruno said.

Plenty of details had to be ironed out behind the scenes, but soon Giambruno will hand over the keys to the kitchen and Gessesse will become a chef/owner for the first time.

And the casual customers might not even notice the change.

Under Giambruno's guidance, Hyacinth has always been an evolution. What's on the menu today wasn't there on opening day, and what we find next season is likely to be a fun, new discovery.

Hyacinth was always home

Gessesse grew up in the Twin Cities area and jumped at the opportunity to go to culinary school through the Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps Center, which gives qualified Minnesotans ages 16 to 24 free education and training.

"I'm still trying to catch up to my mother," he said. "Sourdough breads, fermentations and cheeses — all of our family events were centered around food."

His passion for cooking came from a nurturing in great meals. "My formative experiences have been with my family from Ethiopia," he said. "We grew up with Italian food. Ethiopia and Eritrea have the most Italian restaurants per capita of anywhere outside of Italy. All the pizzerias, pastries — there's gelato everywhere. I grew up spaghetti with berbere. We have our own version of focaccia."

After graduating from culinary school, Gessesse traveled around Europe, staged at the famed Restaurant Kontrast in Oslo and returned home for his first turn in the kitchen at Hyacinth. He left a couple of times, most recently to work out of state, but this cozy restaurant with the fresh flowers, bright blue seats and intimate setting between cooks and diners always felt like home. "Hyacinth is a hard restaurant to quit."

It's a feeling Giambruno has worked to cultivate, and one he felt emanating from Gessesse from day one.

"Right away we recognized that we came at this from the same place, from that strong family background," Giambruno said. "It's not an exercise in ego. Hyacinth has always been a place to make people happy and create a warm and happy vibe."

Which is why this isn't an end, but an evolution. Longtime fans of Hyacinth have already tasted Gessesse's food. He, like all the cooks at Hyacinth, has created dishes that eventually go on the menu. There's collaboration there.

"It's not a coincidence that this restaurant opened up in St. Paul. I'm so happy to be a part of it," said Gessesse.

790 Grand Av., St. Paul, 651-478-1822, hyacinthstpaul.com